Mashpee – Falmouth, MA – October 9, 1951

October 9, 2015

Mashpee-Falmouth Area

Massachusetts – October 9, 1951

F-94 StarfireU.S. Air Force Photo

On October 9, 1951, a U. S. Air Force F-94 Starfire jet was coming in for a landing at Otis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, when a wingtip fuel tank, reported to be, “probably empty”, unexpectedly fell away and came down in a wooded area somewhere to the west of a traffic rotary on Route 28 in the nearby town of Mashpee, Massachusetts. The pilot estimated that the tank might have landed far enough to the west of the traffic rotary that it came down in Falmouth.

A search for the missing tank was instituted, but as of October 12th it hadn’t been found. The tank was described as being about five feet long, cigar-shaped, and made of aluminum. Citicens with any information as to its whereabouts were asked to notify Falmouth police or Otis base.